RAW YAM CHIPS

How to make RAW Yam chips:

I thinly sliced a yam on the mandolin

Placed the pieces on the food dehydrator tray

Sprinkled them with a bit of Herbamare & some nutritional yeast

I let the slices sit for a while, the salt draws out some moisture
which them makes the yeast stick to the yam slices.

Dehyrate all day & keep pulling the tray out & snacking on them!

The trick with the yam chips in humid weather is to eat them right
away. I turn the dehydrator off overnight & they are not crispy any
more, so I turn it back on the next day & eat them right from the tray.

2012 Distance Learning Herbalist Course

This year's Herbalist Course is going to be distance learning, self paced. It begins in early Oct, so I need to know very soon if you are interested in taking it.

My website has full info www.dragonflyherbals.com

Eagle in my yard

These were taken through the window, so there's a bit of a reflection. We get lots of bald eagles

in the yard at this time of year. Such amazing birds.

Hummingbirds & Buddha

These were all taken in my yard  in late April

Rufous Hummingbird

Cherry tree blossoms

Goddess

Hummingbirds & Buddha

Beginning to eat raw foods & cravings

This is a reponse I wrote to a raw food question asked to me on my forum.  The question was: "I know that gradually your body asked to you start eating raw, and I feel like mine's doing the same thing, but the more I crave eating in a fashion that raises my energetic vibration, the more I feel emotionally drawn to heavy carbs and sugars. Do you have any suggestions for me?"


The cravings throw you all over the place! It is because your body has not woken up to what it truly needs. You can crave sugar (carbs) when you require bitters, or crave carbs when you need a protein such as hemp hearts or avocado.

There's some info on my website about raw. There's tons on the internet, and great books out there. Chapters in town here has some great raw books.

I'd say the main thing is to ADD raw stuff to your existing diet. Let the foods you don't need fall away naturally. Don't deny yourself. In my opinion the worst thing you can do is yo yo between raw foods & conventional diet. That's why I say, to add the raw & let the other stuff naturally fall away.

I am doing a lighter way of eating right now, and when I get into that zone its amazing what happens to your senses. Most of us feel that the bread section in the grocery store smells great. I wonder if that is because most of us have candida & so our bodies crave the carbs, sugar & yeast to feed the candida? I walked past the bread section yesterday & had to cover my nose with my scarf!

So yeah, the cravings go away on their own.

Figure out what to add that is raw. That way you fill yourself up on the nutritious raw foods and you feel satisfied. If you want to eat something else do it, but be aware of how you feel from eating it.
Think of the raw foods you love: what fruits & veggies do you love? Learn how to incorporate nut & make your own carb type foods like the crackers & cookies that are raw. These help too.

Part of it all, is that we are emotionally attached to foods we don’t need, and we are full of toxins. As these begin to let go you will find certain foods no longer hold an interest.

Later on in this adventure you get a craving out of the blue & you can think about it for a few days & figure out what your body is asking for & make a raw version of it. Or just eat that food & see how your body reacts.

I have been on my raw journey for 3 years. First the seafood items dropped away, then the carbs, then other things. After 1 and half years I craved pizza, thought about it for 3 days and decided I wanted some. So..... at 3 big slices loaded with cheese, it was fabulous. However..... the next day the wheat in the crust gave me an anxiety attack that lasted for days. Definitely not worth it. For the next few months if I even thought about eating something with wheat in it, I thought about what eating wheat did to me, and knew it wasn’t worth it at all.

I wrote an article on my website, about Raw Foods: Social Aspects & Cheating. Its under Articles on the toolbar.

• So let your body & emotions guide you. Be conscious & mindful of what you ingest & how you feel.
• Add appealing raw foods to your diet.
• Cleansing herbs help. Cleanse out toxins.
• Reiki attunements help. Also set intentions & use your reiki to manifest healthy eating patterns.
• Let the unhealthy foods fall away.

Raw Breakfast

Just  made this for breakfast:

Soaked chia seeds
spirulina & Klamath Lk. Blue Green Algae
mixed berries: blueberry, raspberry, blackberry
diced apple
topping= make a 'milk' from hemp heart, sesame seeds, water & a few strawberries to pour over it.

This is filling & tastes fantastic.

Signs of candida overgrowth in the body, part 2

Antifungals should be used for a few weeks, then switch to probiotics for a few weeks, repeat this over a period of 3 months. A good antifungal tincture includes olive leaf, black walnut, and pau d’arco. Oil of Oregano can be used separately. Probiotics can be used as a supplement, get the refrigerated kind at your health food store, and follow the directions on the label.

The best probiotic supplement I have found is BioK. It usually comes in a box of 6 more in the refrigerated section of a health food store. It costs a lot more than bottles of capsules and works waaaaaaaaaaaay better. And no, eating yogurt won’t work.

During my distance learning herbalist course, we make formulas for lowering candida in the body. 

When candida levels are lower you can have:

• ·        Clearer thinking & better memory
• 
  
• ·        You can begin to eliminate:

o   Fungal skin problems

o   Vaginal yeast infections

o   Digestive problems: bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation

o   Emotional problems: anxiety, irritability

o   Problems related to allergies: wheezing, sneezing, sinus problems

I have seen candida cleanses work with many people, although I think it is necessary to have the herbs & probiotics on hand & take them several times a year.

Watching what you eat is the key. Sugar feeds candida, and often as you begin to cut out sugars & the candida starts to die, you get cravings for sugar! As we’ll discuss in the herbalist course bitter herbs can help with this for many reasons.

Depending on how bad your candida levels are, and how quickly you want to clear it up, you can get on a candida diet, which basically involves eating foods that do not feed candida. You can still have some success by just taking the herbs & probiotics.

During the herbalist course we discuss how to discover which herbs are best for your body energy, so in this way you will be using the right herbs for your body.